I've tried surviving on the map for as long as I could, I researched a lot of things and I've explored 2 conjoined islands (Very big in size). Both islands did not initially have a rock biome, just a few scattered boulders which I mined really fast, leaving me with about 12 stone, which isn't enough.

Now that I look at the map, there are no other boulders on both islands, even if there are boulders in the unexplored space (A lot of swamps there) it would take me a long time to get there and back to my base.

What do I do in the case where there are no more boulders in my reach? Boulders are an essential material, and they are not farmable. I really don't want to resort to a new world, as I've already spent a long time in this one.

  • You might have to move your base to somewhere with more materials. – GnomeSlice Dec 8 '12 at 14:47
  • I'd hate to do that (it would take a long time to replant the dense tree walls, move the structures, find a neat spot etc), but I hope there is some way to avoid that. Thanks for your comment, though. – Bugster Dec 8 '12 at 15:24
  • how long have you been in the same place? I haven't played this particular game yet, but if it's anything like other material-collecting games (like Minecraft or Terraria), you probably are going to have to move. I'd suggest making day trips from your current hideout to look for good spots elsewhere, and moving things in stages. Or even build an entirely new base from scratch and leave your old one there! – GnomeSlice Dec 8 '12 at 15:29
  • I've fully explored 2 large islands. In the game you have access to a mini-map which shows the location of currently explored areas and marks resources on the map so you can't miss a rock or else you would see it's icon. and moving can be tedious since you have to do it within 1 day or find a way to not get killed during the night with all the loot. The current base is very well protected against monsters and is close to a lot of meat, as I said, I'd do it as a last resort unless someone has a good idea – Bugster Dec 8 '12 at 15:34
  • What is wrong with taking some logs, and going exploring? 4 logs will keep a campfire going all night. Are there only 2 islands total in your world? – Kexlox Dec 8 '12 at 19:50

Rocks aren't renewable in the open*. When you're playing your first few worlds, especially if you've been unlucky with the random generation, it can happen to run out of resources and die while looking for more. When you'll get a little more experience it takes very little to gather the necessary equipment to build a fire pit and find a little nice place to settle.

Anyway in your current situation you can do some things to cut your losses:

  • EXPLORE! Even if the islands you've spawned in are very huge, the world doesn't end there. Pack a lot of logs, make a Logsuit and a Spear (these are fundamental to defend yourself from hounds and spiders) and start going around. The swamps may be dangerous, but there's a whole lot of new world beyond them, and you may even find a field of rocks for all your needs.

  • Research. Especially in your first few gameplays, you should try to research as much as you can. Since your unlocked researches are passed to your next incarnation, you'll have less penalties from your death, and you'll start your new game with some new tricks under your sleeve. Some suggestions: the Fire Pit, the Logsuit, the Spear, the Turbo Farm Plot, the Backpack are all useful and quality of life changing items. (Alas, this part is obsolete; the research points system is no longer in the game.)

  • Don't be afraid to die. However inconvenient death may be, your new life will restore every resource you've depleted in the current world, letting you start anew.

  • Don't be afraid to change the world. The first thing you should do is explore your surroundings. You don't like what you see? Reroll. There's no penalty in that, especially if it's your first day, and it can save you a lot of problems later.

Finally, let's take a look in detail at what you can do with the rocks (in brackets the number of stones needed for every item, 1 cut stone = 3 rocks):


  • Science Machine (4)
  • Turbo farm plot (4)
  • Fire pit (12)
  • Hammer (3)

Cut stone:

  • Crock pot(3)
  • Alchemy engine(4)
  • Pig House(3)

You said that you've already done some researches, so the Science machine should already be in place. The only other thing that you really need of those above is the fire pit, and you said you have the 12 rocks to build it. As I already said pack your things and try to find a new place to live in, possibly near a herd of beefalos or a pigmen village -- manure is an even more fundamental resource than rocks, especially if you have many farm plots and/or berry bushes. Put your camp at night away from spiders' nests, and be prepared to defend yourself from the hounds. Run as fast as you can through the swamp to avoid the tentacles. And remember, even if you die, that's not the end. Even if you've spent 10 or 10,000 days in your current world, however frutrating it may be, your death is just another step in the right direction.

*: since the Underground update stones have become a renewable resource through the Earthquakes, but these require you to be in a Cave to be useful. In DST, rocks are renewable thanks to meteorite impacts at rocky biomes.

|improve this answer|||||
  • Thanks for the detailed answer, I've never played a game where there's so many non-renewable items, but this game is awesome. – Bugster Dec 9 '12 at 15:07
  • 3
    I'm not sure what you mean by "death is just temporary". I'm playing the Steam version which was recently released. Are you talking about Sandbox mode, which isn't initially unlocked? – FAE May 17 '13 at 22:26
  • 1
    @FAE actually the Sandbox mode is the game mode in which you begin. With "death is just temporary" I meant that, however painful it may be, it's just part of the game. You're supposed to die sooner or later, but, since you respawn in the same world, you can learn from your mistakes. Also, when I wrote this answer, there was still the Research Points system in place, that let you bring your discoveries from an incarnation to the other. This is no longer true(the game was still undergoing heavy changes at the time). I'll try to reword that part of the answer. – Kappei May 18 '13 at 7:48

Since the Underground update, rocks are now renewable in Caves because of Earthquakes. If you're out of Stones or Flint in the overworld, you might want to go into a cave and mine some Stalagmites, wait for an Earthquake, or try to trigger one with an explosive like Gunpowder.

|improve this answer|||||

You have no choice but to explore other islands. Pack yourself a backpack, food, and armor. I'd recommend waiting for a hound attack before leaving, and then take off.

As you explore around, be on the lookout for Beeafalos and watch where they occur, so that you can run to them when you hear the sounds of an imminent attack. It's difficult to get hounds to switch targets with other creatures, but possible. Hounds run about the same speed as you.

When you explore for rocks, you don't want to spend your time picking up other things, and instead focus on finding a rock biome as soon as possible. Biomes can be inter-mixed but in general what you're interested in is a large rock biome, so you don't have to explore each nook and cranny of every island. Focus on finding a rock biome, grabbing some rocks, and head home. You can always have more than one base.

|improve this answer|||||

If completely out of these sort of resources...

Construct Golden Pickaxe (Acquire Gold, from Pig King, by giving Meat, Morsels, Trinkets, etcetera)

Enter the Caves

Find Rock Lobsters

Feed Rock Lobsters Gold (So they become allied)

Return to over world (With Rock Lobsters still allied)

Allow Rock Lobsters to reproduce

Kill Rock Lobsters (not all of them) to have them drop Rocks, Flint, Meat.

Note: Rock Lobsters are difficult encounters.

|improve this answer|||||

Worm holes are also great (just make sure you have enough sanity before jumping in--pick a lot of flowers if needed, and make a flower garland to help). If you can find some worm holes near your camp, they may take you to places that are very far from your camp, but quick and easy to get to through the worm holes. You will very likely find a really great rock biome that you can access quickly. This is also how I get my charcoal. I'll jump in a worm hole to a forest biome far from camp, burn down the forest, and voila--tons of charcoal and ash, with the trees near my camp still intact.

|improve this answer|||||

What i usually do is explore my entire world which takes 7 days atleast and then i decide the pros and cons of each biome and the surrounding biomes and make my base in the most suited place. It also gives you an idea of how big your world is.

|improve this answer|||||
  • And when i said explore the entire world i just meant the edges. – Hyper-Optic Sep 20 '16 at 11:14
  • I have a hard time seeing how this answers the question. – DJ Pirtu Sep 20 '16 at 11:21

Your Answer

